This is an installer package for the games Majestic Part 1: Alien Encounter, Syn-Factor aka Symbiocom, and Zero Critical (collectively known as The Majestic Trilogy) which will allow them to be played on modern versions of Windows, with easy to use desktop and/or start menu shortcuts and an uninstall option for quick removal. The manuals for Majestic Part 1 and Syn-Factor are included as well.

Both DOSBox Daum and Retroarch are included and either can be used for Majestic Part 1 and Syn-Factor, depending on your preference. I would recommend Retroarch if you have a decent computer/video card as it has access to high quality shaders and bezels – my own custom shaders and bezel are included. These games are setup to use Windows 3.1.

PCem is used for Zero Critical. It uses Windows 95.

All emulators are setup with controller support via Antimicro, with joystick to emulated mouse input (left stick, right stick, or dpad can be used) as well as a couple additional mappings (based on a 360/XB1 controller):

Left trigger = right mouse button

Right trigger = left mouse button

X = Enter

B = Space

Start = ESC

Back+LB = Quit (note: only works with Majestic Part 1 and Syn-Factor; Zero Critical needs have the emulated Windows environment shut down first)

DOSBox can be closed by pressing Ctrl+F9 and Retroarch can be closed by pressing Numpad Asterisk + Esc. You can also just exit the games and then use the WinExit shortcut on the desktop.

ASuite is a lightweight, open-source, portable launcher which is included to allow you to choose which emulator to use, some configuration options for each of them, as well as access to the manuals and this readme.

Reshade is also included and enabled through the launcher if so desired (it's off by default). I've included a couple of my own custom presets. If you enable it, you can toggle the settings panel by pressing PgDn and select the desired preset from the drop-down list at the top. The effect can be toggled on and off by pressing End.

Some important notes:

I do not recommend installing into your Program Files folder. This can cause write access problems when you need to save your game. C:\Games\Zomb's Lair\The Majestic Trilogy is the default path, but anywhere other than Program Files/Program Files (x86) is fine.

When attempting to save/load during Majestic Part 1, you'll need to first change the drive to C: from the drop-down menu, because it will default to D: (the disc drive). Then select a folder to save to/load from (like C:\Majestic).

When you're finished playing Zero Critical, you will need to shut down the emulated Windows 95 environment first. Exit the game, then go to the start menu on the desktop and select shut down. You'll then see a screen that says "It is now safe to turn off your computer." Once you see this, press Ctrl+Alt+Page Down to change to a window, then click on the "System" menu and click "Shutdown". Do not use the System -> Shutdown function until you've used the start menu shutdown - it's like pulling the power vs turning it off normally.

The shaders "Esper", "Ghost", "Neuromancer", and "Snowcrash" in Retroarch will not work with onboard video - dedicated video hardware is required. If you you do not meet this requirement and have one of these shaders set, it will simply be disabled when playing. The shader "Decker" should work regardless of video hardware. Note that all of these are somewhat system intensive, however. If performance on your computer is poor, simply disable the shader by starting the launcher and selecting either the "No shader" or "No shader / no bezel" option.

Lower end computers may have performance issues in Retroarch if Hard Sync is enabled. This is enabled by default because it helps reduce input latency. If the game is running poorly, however, try turning it off - there is an option in the Launcher under Retroarch Settings to turn it on or off.

Zomb's Lair is a passion project dedicated to bringing old classics to a modern audience, while eliminating all of the hurdles that that normally entails.

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